Monday 14 March 2011

Good kitchen design (3)

Lola has done the decent thing and posted pictures of his own kitchen.

The layout round the door is a bit messy (see first picture on his post - the fridge seems to be plonked in the middle of nowhere), but the second picture fills my heart with joy:
* massive double sink under window - check
* dishwasher near, but not directly underneath, sink - check
* microwave at eye level - check
* a couple of units space between sink and oven - check
* decent sized, free standing kitchen table - check
* loads of power points - check
* spotlights under units - check

11 comments:

JuliaM said...

Mykitchen is, at the moment, far too messy to do this!

chefdave said...

Very nice, although it looks like he's superimposed the microwave just to attain your appoval ;)

Dick Puddlecote said...

I'm worrying about your affectation with kitchens, MW. Fond memories of 1980s house parties, perhaps? ;)

Mark Wadsworth said...

JM, it's the layout not the tidiness that matters. You can tidy up in half an hour, you can't just change the layout.

CD, the microwave has always been there, and it's perfectly placed under a half-sized unit with plenty of space for ventilation.

DP, it's about good design. The same basic rules apply to traffic junctions, voting systems or tax systems as they do to kitchens.

Lola said...

Bearing in mind that we have four children and two dogs, any kitchen has to be a family room. (There is also have a dining room off the kitchen to the right of the picture). Thing is we have designed and built quite a few kitchens over the years so this one represents a lot of accumulated experience.

Nearly all kitchens are constrained by doors and windows. We have three doorways. One you can see, one to the right (to the dining room and the rest of the house) and one behind the camera - a large four panel patio door. Given that, you are then left with an L shape plus a bit on the side.

This then drives what you do. You need a large double sink if you have an Aga and they need to be relatively near each other. The clever bit (contrary to what MW says) was to put the fridge elsewhere on the right of the picture which actually works very well indeed.

In other words this is a kitchen designed to be lived and worked in. It's the centre of a modest family home.

Oh, and 'my' seat at the table is roughly where the camera is standing and commands a view of all the action and the view outside over the Suffolk countryside behind the camera.

It's my little bit of heaven.

Mark Wadsworth said...

L: "this one represents a lot of accumulated experience"

That is of one the basic rules of good design.

Lola said...

MW: Quite.

TheFatBigot said...

A classy kitchen Mr Lola, as well as being very practical. Nice work.

The Schwartz spice rack looks good, but I'd always refill with supemarket dried herbs and spices - just as good and a quarter of the price.

TheFatBigot said...

P.S. Where have you hidden all the crap? You know what I mean, the jumbo-sized packet of pasta that was too cheap to refuse but too big for any cupboard and the cheese dome old Auntie Enid gave you a few Christmases ago and that must be on display incase any of her sixteen siblings or their numerous offspring pops by? And he mousetrap, of course.

Lola said...

TFB: Spice rack - I have. They are.

Crap? Good design! Plus we have other areas for storing such stuff, and a lot we've given away to children (You can do that. Aunt Nellie finds that acceptable method of disposal)

Scott Wright said...

These old fashioned looking units & floorings are definitely not to my taste but the layout is sensible.